DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a learning tower or seat or high chair for children.

Nowadays so-called Montessori learning towers are known.

These devices are designed to give children, generally aged between 1 to 4 years old, the possibility of access to the household work surfaces used by adults, such as a sink top or table Generally, these work surfaces are situated at a height of about 88-110 cm and therefore, in order to access them, a child needs to use a raised platform, such as a stool or a chair.

The use of these means, however, does not eliminate the risk of the child falling. A learning tower is therefore intended to satisfy the need to ensure the safety of the child by providing a parapet which surrounds the zone situated above a platform which is raised to a suitable height so as to make the aforementioned conventional work surfaces accessible to a child. The parapet forms a closed perimeter which prevents the child from losing its balance on the platform, so to make provision for or at least help limit the risk of the child falling.

A niche is formed by three vertical walls of the learning tower which terminate at the top in a parapet and which support, at an intermediate height between the ground and the parapet, the standing platform.

The three vertical walls therefore delimit the niche on three sides, defining a space for accessing the niche on the fourth side which forms the rear side of the learning tower. Thus, the child may access the inside of the niche of the learning tower, entering inside the space and climbing up onto the platform. Although conventional learning towers are widely used, there nevertheless exists room for improvement as regards the safety of the child when using them. In fact, in particular, it may happen, especially when using the learning tower the first few times, that the still young child may become very excited about the activities which it can become involved in.

Being excited about the prospect of participating in these adult activities, but not yet well-acquainted with its own body, it may happen the child is unaware of the muscular fatigue to which it is exposed and that its legs may suddenly give way, resulting in it falling into the sitting position.

In such a case the child in fact moves away from the parapet and tends to fall into the sitting position such that its back is facing the access opening, and therefore without a rear support, with the consequent risk that it may fall backwards out of the learning tower.

Moreover, it is not possible to close the access opening since this would result in the inconvenience of preventing autonomous or at least assisted access for the child.

The problem forming the basis of the present invention is therefore that of ensuring more safe use of a learning tower.

The task of the present invention is therefore that of proposing a learning tower, or mechanism applied thereto, which solves the aforementioned problem.

In connection with this task, one object of the present invention is to increase the safety of conventional learning towers without adversely affecting the usability thereof by users A further object of the present invention is to provide a learning tower which allows easy - autonomous or assisted - access for a child, while ensuring that the child is retained within the learning tower in the event of its legs giving way.

This task, as well as these and other objects which will become clearer below are achieved by a learning tower according to the attached independent claim.

Detailed characteristics features of a learning tower, according to the invention, are contained in the dependent claims.

Further characteristic features and advantages will emerge more clearly form the description of a preferred, but non-exclusive embodiment of a learning tower, shown by way of a non-limiting example in the attached sets of drawings in which:

- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a learning tower according to the present invention in a retention configuration; - Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a learning tower according to the present invention in an access configuration;

- Figure 3 shows a side view of the learning tower according to Figure 1;

- Figure 4 shows a side view of the learning tower according to Figure 2;

- Figure 5 shows a side view of a learning tower according to the present invention in a retention configuration;

- Figure 6 shows a side view of the learning tower according to Figure 5 in an access configuration. With particular reference to the said figures, 1 denotes overall a learning tower according to the present invention. The learning tower 1 is intended to be used by a child of between about 9 months and 5 years old and in general by children which have just learned to stand on their own in the standing position, with the aid also of a support.

Structurally speaking, the learning tower 1 according to the present invention comprises a frame 10 and a safety member 20.

The frame 10 includes a platform 11 and a parapet 12 and defines a niche 13. The niche 13 is delimited at the bottom by the footboard 11 and at the top by the parapet 12.

Moreover, the niche 13 has dimensions such that it can be occupied by a child; in other words, the niche 13 is intended to be occupied, during use, at least partly by a child. For example, the niche 13 may extend over a height of between about 25 cm and about 51 cm.

The parapet 12 may comprise at least one section or portion of the frame 10 opposite to the rear opening 132 of the niche 13. The parapet 12 may also comprise a plurality of sections or portions of the frame 10 for forming a closed or partially closed perimeter around the niche 13.

The platform 11 may be adjustable heightwise on the frame 10, in a manner conventional per se, so as to be able to adapt the height of the niche 13 to the height of the child to be accommodated The niche 13 in turn comprises: an upper opening 131, delimited perimetrally by the parapet 12 and facing the platform 11 so that, during use, a child who stands up on the platform 11 may protrude from the niche 13 through the said upper opening 131; - a rear opening 132 configured to be crossed by a child so as to allow it access or entry into the niche 13.

For this purpose, in order to allow easy access to the niche 13, said rear opening may have, for example, the following measurements: width of roughly between 35 cm and 60 cm and height of roughly between about 30 cm and 70 cm.

The safety member 20 is connected to or coupled with the frame 10 in a movable or deformable manner.

The safety member 20 is therefore movable or deformable between an access configuration and a retention configuration. In particular, the safety member 20 is configured so that: when the safety member assumes said access configuration, the rear opening 132 has a free portion which can be crossed by a child in order to access said niche 13; when the safety member assumes said retention configuration, the rear opening 132 is at least partially obstructed by the said safety member 20 which is positioned, with respect to the rear opening 132, so as to prevent a child falling though the rear opening 132.

Therefore, the safety member 20 may assume an access configuration, in which the safety member 20 is displaced or removed, completely or at least partially, from the rear opening 132 so as to leave free, namely without obstacles or impediments, at least one portion, referred to below precisely as free portion.

In this way, advantageously, free passage of a child through the free portion of the rear opening 132 is allowed.

In addition, the safety member 20 may assume a retention configuration in which the said safety member 20 engages the rear opening 132 so as to prevent a child falling through the same. In other words, therefore, in order to ensure a retaining action, the retaining part 23, when it is in the retention configuration, occupies or obstructs at least part of the rear opening 132.

For this purpose, the area of the rear opening 132, occupied or obstructed by the retaining part 23, in the retention configuration, may constitute for example: - at least 30% of the rear opening, in an embodiment in which the retaining part 132, in said retention position, is intended to be in a central position inside the rear opening 132, or - at least 50% of the rear opening, in an embodiment in which the retaining part 132, in said retention position, is intended to occupy only a lateral part of the rear opening 132.

It can therefore be understood how, owing to the mobility or deformability of the safety member 20 with respect to the frame 10, it will be easy to open the rear opening 132 in order to allow easy access to a child who may climb up inside it in autonomous - or at the most assisted - manner and at the same time it will be simple to ensure the safety of the child who has entered inside the niche 13 by simply positioning the safety member 20 in the retention configuration.

In fact, when a child occupies the niche 13 and the safety member 20 is in the retention position, in the event of the child being suddenly no longer able to stand on its legs or if it tries voluntarily to assume the sitting position, the movement of the child will be limited by the safety member 210 which will prevent the child from falling out of the niche 13 through the rear opening 132. In particular, the safety member 20 may be configured to form a depression or a seat should the child continue to lean against it such that the child may use it in the manner of a seat or find itself sat on it, instead of on the platform 11, in the event of the child's legs giving away because of fatigue. The learning tower 1 may in particular be configured so that, during use, the safety member 20 will tend to assume autonomously the retention configuration, for example by means of gravity or by means of an elastic or magnetic recall action.

For example, the learning tower 1 may comprise resilient means, for example springs or elastic elements, or magnetic means, which are connected to the frame 10 and to the safety member 20 so as to exert on it a stress designed to retain or bring the latter back into the retention configuration.

The safety member 20 may comprise: - a first part 21 fixed to the frame 10; a second part 22 connected to the frame 10 slidingly between an open position and a closed position; a retaining part 23, which extends between the first part 21 and the second part 22 and which is deformable between a retracted configuration and an extended configuration.

The first part 21 is therefore a portion of the safety member 20 fixed to or associated or coupled with the frame 10 stably in a removable manner. Preferably, the first part 21 of the safety member 20 is fixed to the parapet 12 or forms part thereof. The second part 22 may be a portion of the safety member 20 and may be movable with respect to the frame 10; it may interfere with the latter so as to slide in a guided manner between the open position and the closed position.

The retaining part 23 may be coupled or associated with the first part 21 and the second part 22 and extends between them. Since the retaining part 23 is coupled or associated with the second part 22, the retaining part 23 is able to move together with the second part or may be moved by the latter.

In fact, the retaining part 23 may assume a retracted configuration, for example folded onto itself, or an extended configuration, for example completely unfolded between the first part 21 and the second part 22, depending on the position of the second part 22 with respect to the frame 10.

In this sense, therefore, the learning tower 1 may be configured so that, when the second part 22 passes from the closed position into the open position, the retaining part 23 may assume the retracted configuration and, when the second part 22 passes from the open position into the closed position, the retaining part 23 may assume the extended configuration. In other words, a retracted configuration of the retaining part 23 corresponds to a closed position of the second part 22, while an extended configuration of the retaining part 23 corresponds to an open position of the second part 22.

For example, a user may cause the retaining part 23 to pass from the extended configuration into the retracted configuration by displacing the second part 22 into the closed position, where the second part 22 may, for example, be adjacent to the first part 21 or may abut against the latter as can be seen by way of a non limiting example in Figures 2 and 4. Clearly it is possible to provide locking means, such as one or more hooks or rings or magnetic elements which, in a conventional manner known per se, allow the second part 22 to be temporarily locked in the closed position or to the first part 21.

In particular, moreover, said safety member 20 may be configured so that, when the retaining part 23 is in the extended configuration, the same retaining member 23 can be engaged by the pelvis of the child so as to support it and prevent the child from falling through the rear opening 132. In other words, when the retaining part 23 is unfolded, it may occupy at least partly the area subtended by the rear opening 132; in this way the retaining part 23 may advantageously perform a retaining or supporting action for the child's pelvis and thus prevent the child from falling through the rear opening 132.

In particular, the retaining part 23 may advantageously define a rear supporting zone for a child and prevent it from falling, for example it may form a depression inside which the child may assume a sitting position, as for example can be seen in Figures 5 and 6.

Moreover, the second part 22 of the safety member 20, in the closed position, may abut against the platform 11 or be located close thereto.

For example, the safety member 20 may be configured so that, in the closed position, the second part 22 may be located at least 25 cm from the platform 11. In other words, in the closed position, the second part 22 may be positioned so as to cause the retaining part 23 to close, completely or substantially completely, the rear opening 132 and/or delimit the niche 13 at the rear.

Complete, or substantially complete, closure of the rear opening 132 ensures a more reliable and stable action for retaining a child in the event of a fall. In addition, the retaining part 23 of the safety member 20 may be configured to project through the rear opening 132 so as to form a depression for supporting the pelvis of a child should the child, during use, push with the pelvis against the retaining part 23 so as lean against it.

In other words, the retaining part 23 of the safety member 20 may project or protrude from the frame 10 through the rear opening 132. In other words, the retaining part 23 of the safety member 20 may be advantageously configured to form a support cavity, namely a supporting surface or curved support suitable for acting as a seat.

The retaining part 23 of the safety member 20 may comprise a draping membrane and/or an elastically deformable membrane and/or a series of rigid elements each articulated or hinged with a following and/or a preceding rigid element so as to make the retaining part 23 foldable and/or extensible and contractable.

In this way, the retaining part 23 of the safety member 20 may be able to assume the aforementioned retracted configuration and the aforementioned extended configuration. More specifically, some materials which may be used to form the retaining part 23 of the safety member 20 may be: fabrics, leather, eco leather and/or in general soft and/or flexible and/or draping and/or elastically deformable materials such as natural fibres, artificial fibres, rubber or leather; materials stratified by means of lamination of rigid membranes such as wood, plastic and/or composite materials and/or a mixed combination of rigid and soft/elastic materials.

The frame 10 of the learning tower 1, in addition to the platform 11 and the parapet 12, may also comprise a guide 14.

The second part 22 of the safety member 20 may comprise two opposite ends 22a, 22b which are coupled with said guide 14 so as to slide along it. In addition, the guide 14 may be configured to define, for the second part 22, a constraint designed to prevent the latter from coming out of the rear opening 132.

In other words, the guide 14 may be configured to ensure that the second part 22 and the frame 10 remain coupled together in any position between the aforementioned open position and closed position which can be assumed by the second part 22.

Expressed differently, the guide 14 may be configured to prevent the second part 22 and the frame 10 from accidentally and/or spontaneously becoming separated from each other.

In particular, the ends 22a, 22b of the second part 22 may be accommodated or housed displaceably inside the guide 14.

For example, for the sake of structural simplicity, the second part 22 may consist of a rod or comprise a rod. Furthermore, the frame 10 may comprise two side walls 15a, 15b. The frame 10 may comprise feet 101 for resting on the ground and may be configured so that, when it is resting on a horizontal surface by means of the feet 101, the two side walls 15a, 15b extend, at least mainly, in a vertical direction, namely a direction perpendicular to the horizontal support surface, such as a floor on which the learning tower 1 rests during use. The feet 101 may, in a per se conventional manner, be adjustable.

The side walls 15a, 15b may be mutually facing and arranged opposite each other with respect to the platform 11 which may be interposed between them.

The platform 11 may be configured to define a standing surface which is parallel to a surface which intercepts the feet 101.

In other words, the two side walls 15a, 15b may be arranged facing each other and spaced so as to retain between them the platform 11, the platform being able to be fixed to said side walls. Preferably, as mentioned, the platform 11 is retained between the two side walls 15a, 15b so as to be arranged along a horizontal plane, namely parallel to the support surface, such as a floor, on which the learning tower 1 rests during use. The guide 14 may comprise two guide edges 14a, 14b which may be mutually specular, each defined by one of the side walls 15a, 15b.

In other words, the guide 14 may be defined by or consist of at least two guide edges 14a, 14b. In particular, the guide edges 14a, 14b may extend along an operative direction such that, when the learning tower 1 is in use, it extends mainly in a vertical direction.

This results in the advantage that the safety member 20 may assume and/or maintain the retention configuration by means of gravity.

Each of the two opposite ends 22a, 22b of the second part 22 of the safety member 20 may be designed to engage a corresponding or respective guide edge 14a, 14b. Preferably, the two opposite ends 22a, 22b of the second part 22 of the safety member 22 may be arranged along a longitudinal direction, namely a direction along which the side walls 15a, 15b are spaced or mutually arranged.

In addition, each of the side walls 15a, 15b may have at least one lateral opening 151a, 151b which passes through the said side walls 15a, 15b and which is delimited by a perimetral edge of the side walls 15a, 15b which comprises a respective one of the guide edges 14a, 14b.

In other words, each of the side walls 15a, 15b may be provided with a lateral opening 151a, 151b passing through the inside thereof. Each of the lateral openings 151a, 151b may be delimited by a perimetral edge or margin which comprises a respective one of said guide edges 14a, 14b which may form a section thereof. In other words, each of the guide edges 14a, 14b is defined along a perimetral edge of a lateral opening 151a, 151b.

In this way the structure of the learning tower 1 is particularly simple and the removal of the second part 22 of the safety member 20 from the guide edges 14a and 14b is very simple and easy in view of the fact that the second part 22, during use, simply rests on the guide edges 14a and 14b.

Expressed in yet other words, the perimetral edges of the openings 151a, 151b are furthermore configured to act as guide edges 14a,

14b. Therefore, the opposite ends 22a, 22b of the second part 22 of the safety member 20 may be made to slide along the perimetral edges, or margins, of the lateral openings 151a, 151b. Consequently, the opposite ends 22a, 22b of the second part 22 of the safety member 20 may be made to slide along the operating direction in a sense from the bottom upwards, where the terms top and bottom are understood as having the usual meaning with reference to the support surface of the learning tower 1 when the latter, during use, rests on a horizontal or substantially horizontal surface.

Advantageously, a child also without supervision or the assistance of an adult may be able to displace or raise the second part of the safety member 20 and free, at least partially, the area of the rear opening 132 of the retaining part 23 of the safety member 20 so as to have access to the niche 13.

However, once the child has entered into the niche 13, the safety member 20 will tend to assume again its retention position, for example by means of gravity, such as to ensure the safety of the child occupying the niche 13. Finally, the frame 10 may also comprise a plate-like element 16 stably associated with the side walls 15a, 15b and substantially arranged parallel to the platform 11. During use of the learning tower 1, the plate-like element 16, if present, is preferably arranged between the platform 11 and the feet 101 or a bottom end of the learning tower 1 resting on the ground. In this way, the plate-like element 16 may act as a step for helping a child to enter and exit, inside and outside of the niche 13 respectively.

In constructional terms, the frame 10 may be formed by cutting panels, for example made of polymeric material and/or wooden material and/or composite material. The frame 10 may be obtained from a composition of long cut panels/sheets/boards, for example solid boards, by means of moulding of plastic material, for example injection-moulding, and/or by means of assembly of composite materials comprising wood and/or metal and/or plastic material The frame 10 may also comprise a front wall which, as shown by way of a non-limiting example in the attached figures, may comprise or consist of a plurality of cross-pieces 17 or at least one cross-piece, which interconnect the side walls 15a, 15d.

In the present description for the sake of simplicity the front wall will be denoted overall by the same reference number 17.

The front wall 17 may delimit the niche 13 together with the side walls 15a and 15b in a position situated opposite the rear opening 132.

In other words, said front wall 17 may be connected to the side walls 15a, 15b so as to be arranged opposite the rear opening 132. In particular, said front wall 17 may also extend mainly along the vertical direction and be arranged perpendicularly with respect to the side walls 15a and 15b. Preferably, moreover, the front wall 17 has or is equipped with a top edge which comprises or coincides with the parapet 12. The presence of a front wall 17 allows advantageously the child to be retained inside the niche 13. The front wall 17 therefore acts a further element for obstructing or retaining the child inside the niche 13.

The invention thus devised may be subject to numerous modifications and variations, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the attached claims.

Moreover, all the details may be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

In practice the materials used as well as the associated forms and dimensions may be varied depending on the particular requirements and the state of the art.

Where the constructional characteristics and the techniques mentioned in the following claims are followed by reference numbers or symbols, these reference numbers or symbols have been assigned with the sole purpose of facilitating understanding of the said claims and consequently they do not limit in any way the interpretation of each element which is identified, purely by way of example, by said reference numbers or symbols.